The paper provides an overview of a prelanguage program that was developed for a low functioning, 7 1/2-year-old congenitally deaf-blind child. It is explained that the program was based on principles and procedures as they related to operant behaviors, that reinforcement techniques were continually applied, and that a great deal of successive approximation or shaping was used. Steps in teaching the child prerequisite behaviors, motor imitations, meaning, sentencing, and fingerspelling are reviewed. A sample form for charting case data is included. (SBH)